Daughters of Zelophehad: The Action Stage of a Community Organizing Cycle

(1) The daughters of Zelophehad, of Manassite family—son of Hepher son of Gilead son of Machir son of Manasseh son of Joseph—came forward. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. (2) They stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the chieftains, and the whole assembly, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and they said, (3) “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not one of the faction, Korah’s faction, which banded together against יהוה, but died for his own sin; and he has left no sons. (4) Let not our father’s name be lost to his clan just because he had no son! Give us a holding among our father’s kinsmen!” (5) Moses brought their case before יהוה. (6) And יהוה said to Moses, (7) “The plea of Zelophehad’s daughters is just: you should give them a hereditary holding among their father’s kinsmen; transfer their father’s share to them. (8) “Further, speak to the Israelite people as follows: ‘If a householder dies without leaving a son, you shall transfer his property to his daughter. (9) If he has no daughter, you shall assign his property to his brothers. (10) If he has no brothers, you shall assign his property to his father’s brothers. (11) If his father had no brothers, you shall assign his property to his nearest relative in his own clan, who shall inherit it.’ This shall be the law of procedure for the Israelites, in accordance with יהוה’s command to Moses.”

And he was not.

On Numbers 27:3 Rashi said, "Since they said, "he died of his own sin" they needed to say he was not of the faction of complainers or of the faction of Korach that incited people against God. Rather he died of his own sin alone and did not cause others to sin along with him."

But Rashi didn't explain why they said, "he died of his own sin", since they could have said, "our father died in the desert and had no sons". This is the obvious thing to say. But according to the opinion of our Rabbis (in Bava Batra 118b) they had to say that he was not of the faction of Korach because the faction of Korach did not receive a portion of the Land, and even the grumblers of Korach's faction did not. (They heard this rumor from Moses' court).

This is also how Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explains it, saying the daughters thought that those who assembled against God would not inherit.

In my opinion, according to the p'shat, they spoke this way because they thought that Moses hated Korach's faction more than all of the sinners that died in the wilderness, because they rose against him (personally) and denied all of his actions. They thought that maybe in Moses' hatred he would say, "May no one show him mercy; may none pity his orphans...May God be ever mindful of his father’s iniquity" (Psalms 109:12, 14).

Therefore they informed Moses that their father was not one of them (faction), and hinted that he didn't die from the plagues (that God caused against the rebels), but rather he died in the wilderness in his bed.

And the reason for saying, "died from his sin" means that he died in the wilderness of his own iniquity, and did not merit to enter the land.

Or it may be according to an explanation of Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi who explained that it is connected to "and he had no sons", as people say today, "such and such befell him because of sin."

Before Moses and before Eliezer the Priest and before etc. According to the pshat, everyone sat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and it would have been obvious to record their (the daughters') complaint before Moses and Eliezer the priest and the officers. But there were 5 of them, and they did not send one of them individually to make their claim on behalf of all of them. But all of them were smart and they could each substantiate their claim. And if so, it was as if each woman had individually spoken with a leader, this one with Moses and this one with Eliezer and this one with the chiefs, until it was as if they had all come before all of them.